Effects of Fermented Bamboo Shoot Processing Waste on Growth Performance, Serum Parameters, and Gut Microbiota of Weaned Piglets

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Bamboo shoot processing waste is usually directly discarded, resulting in the waste of bamboo resources and environmental pollution. Fermented bamboo shoot processing waste (FBSPW) for feed processing is an important way to reuse bamboo shoot processing waste. In this study, to evaluate the feasibility of FBSPW as a feed additive for weaned piglets, we analyzed the effects of different concentrations of FBSPW added to feed on growth performance, serum parameters, and gut microbiota of weaned piglets. Our results showed that the addition of FBSPW significantly decreased the average daily feed intake, serum triglyceride content, and urea nitrogen of weaned piglets compared to the control. The cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets fed the basal diet with 12% FBSPW were significantly different compared to the control. The addition of 12% FBSPW to weaned piglet feed could improve their nitrogen and lipid metabolisms and have beneficial effects on gut microbiota. ABSTRACT: Gut microbiota (GM) plays a vital role in the nutrition and metabolism of weaned piglets. Some feed additives can be used to adjust the composition of GM to improve the health of weaned piglets. In this study, we investigated the effects of adding fermented bamboo shoot processing waste (FBSPW) to diet on growth performance, serum parameters, and GM of weaned piglets. Seventy-two piglets were divided into four groups and were fed diets containing 0% (control), 4% (group A), 8% (group B), and 12% (group C) FBSPW for 50 days. We found that the addition of FBSPW significantly decreased the average daily feed intake, serum triglyceride content, and urea nitrogen of weaned piglets compared to the control. The cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets fed the basal diet with 12% FBSPW were significantly different compared to the control. A basal diet with 12% FBSPW significantly reduced the taxon feature number, and the relative abundance of Tenericutes in the cecum and cecal microbiota of weaned piglets compared with the control. The addition of 12% FBSPW to weaned piglet feed could improve their nitrogen and lipid metabolisms and have beneficial effects on GM.